COVID-19 daily wrap: 1 death, 7 new cases in WA

Western Australia has confirmed seven new coronavirus cases overnight, comprising six cruise ship passengers and one health care worker in the Kimberley, ranging from 41 to 79 years old.

There are now 13 cases in the Kimberley, seven of which are health care workers. WA’s total COVID-19 cases now stands at 460.

An 84-year-old Western Australian, who had travelled aboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship, died from the virus today at Royal Perth Hospital. This brings the state’s death toll to four.

There are currently 58 confirmed COVID-19 patients in Perth metropolitan hospitals, with 18 people in intensive care, including at Joondalup and Midland public hospitals. WA has 162 recovered cases.

Premier Mark McGowan announced The Westin Perth hotel will be used to house any health workers who have come in contact with the virus and need to be quarantined.

The premier also threatened to close Perth beaches if people ignored social isolation rules.

“That’s an extreme measure, but this is a time of extreme measures,” the premier said. “With the weather warming up, I just urge everyone (to) do the right thing or else we will be forced to close beaches.”

Mr Cook also announced a new dedicated COVID-19 clinic will open up at Broome Hospital on Wednesday.

“As of Saturday night, more than 240 COVID-19 tests have taken place in the Kimberley – 170 which were undertaken in Broome,” Mr Cook said.

He said people in the Kimberley will be eligible for COVID-19 tests if they have a fever or an acute respiratory illness.

“This is part of our step-up, in relation to the Kimberley, just to make sure that we’ve got line of sight of any community-based transmission that may have occurred as result of the cases that we confirmed last week.”

There are currently 5,797 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia. The nation has recorded 40 deaths.

Charities that are registered with the national regulator will be eligible for the federal government’s $130 billion JobKeeper payment if they have suffered a 15 per cent decline in turnover as a result of the coronavirus.

The reduced threshold follows conversations with the charity sector including ACOSS, the Salvation Army and Catholic Social Services Australia.

The JobKeeper payment will provide around 6 million workers a flat payment of $1,500 per fortnight through their employer. The $1,500 payment is the equivalent of around 70 per cent of the national median wage.

The federal liberal and nationals government is making temporary changes to visa arrangements to help farmers access the workforce they need to secure Australia’s food and produce supply during COVID-19.

The changes allow those within the Pacific Labour Scheme, Seasonal Worker Program and working holiday makers to continue to work in agriculture and food processing until the coronavirus crisis has passed. “We can’t afford to see fruit rotting on trees and vines and vegetables left unpicked," Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said. "It is vital our farmers maximise their hard work and economic returns."

Retailer H&M will be closing all 49 of its Australian stores, including its five WA outlets. “We are continuously following the advice of local authorities and will keep you informed of any health and safety of our customers and colleagues remains our top priority,” H&M said.